Disclaimer: Digimon is not my property.
This chapter is pretty long and probably boring. No RenxYamato! Yay! You'd probably guess the end of this story when you'll read this chapter. ^_^ I'm giving some hints away. This is angst and it's very difficult to get out of it now.
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- What's Wrong With Being a Blonde? -
Chapter 8

(Yamato's POV)

Every time Yamato stepped pain shot through his body and unpleasant cold shiver washed over him. He pushed his tears back with two large gulps. //I hate to think what Ren did to me.//

It was a bad time for submitting to despair. He had a plan. He was going to slip away quietly and reach some safe place before Ren realised he had escaped. Then he had to find Taichi and protect him. Good. He willed himself to walk straight and by the time he arrived into the empty hall of the club cold sweat gathered on his forehead. Throwing a mask of nonchalance he headed to the exit. //Get past that door, round the corner, into the street, thumb a lift.//

"Hey!" the doorman halted his progression with what can be defied a knock in the chest.

"That's me, Yamato!" Yamato said with a wry smile.

The man in the dark put his palm away from his T-shirt and cocked his head.

"What are you doing here? Ren said you're asleep."

"I want some fresh air," Yamato lied.

"Go back Yamato," the doorman said. "You aren't allowed outside."

The smile on the boy's face faded. "What?"

"Ren's personal order."

Yamato stared dumbly at him until a hand landed on his shoulder and whirled him around with rudeness that drew a cry of pain from the boy. He found himself face to face with Gozoku. Yamato jerked his arm away but the fingers of the young yakuza cuffed his shoulder tight.

"Trying to run away, huh?" Gozoku sneered with a mad gleam to his eyes.

"Gozoku.." the doorman said uneasily.

"Now we wouldn't want it, would we?" the yakuza continued in a low tone.

Two huge pools of fear that were Yamato's eyes stared at him.

"Some pretty ass has to learn where it belongs." Gozoku pinched Yamato's ass and he pulled away but it was useless. He was trapped.

"Some pretty ass has to.." Gozoku whispered close by Yamato's cheek, "be raped very hard some more. Ren-sama would own you well."

Yamato paled.

"Go! I'll be watching you, brat!" Gozoku ordered, slapped him across the tight jeans and pushed him back into the hall.

Yamato hurried away feeling dirty and horrified at the perspective to find himself in Ren's bedroom and at his mercy one more time. A ghastly shiver returned. He went to the bar to get a drink and collect his thoughts. His back seemed to be the constant target of Gozoku's black mad eyes. Yamato slumped down on the stool.

"Have anything soft?" he said in a quiver. His tongue hardly rolled. The bartender looked up, startled at the chilling horror that was imprinted in the blue orbs.

"Sure, Yamato. Juice?"

Yamato nodded and dropped his head on his hand, shaking all over and failing to look normal.

Akiji arranged shining glasses with soft clinks and moved a couple of packs of juice in front of Yamato who started wide-eyed at him.

"What would you drink?"

After blindly inspecting the packs Yamato shrugged and rubbed his neck.

"I don't care."

The bartender bent over the glasses doing some mix and said in a low voice, "Taichi is okay. I checked this morning."

The frantic rubbing halted as Yamato heard him, then pinched the skin red and went on rubbing again.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"The wounds weren't so bad," Akiji said over the packs.

Yamato's heart did an enormous leap before pumping twice as fast. His head started to throb.

"Wounds...?" he said faintly.

"Ren ordered his men to kill him but he escaped." The bartender withdrew from serving Yamato and went to get a straw for his juice. Yamato stared in his glass, at his own face welled with emotions. Anger. Fury. Rage. His fingers closed around his hair in a fist.

//Ren... I'm so stupid, stupid, STUPID!!! Of course, he'd do something like that. God...//

Yamato released his hair and took the drink with a shaking hand. He had to stay calm... He had to be impassive... //I can't believe it.// A straw came into his view and he raised his eyes at the bartender.

"Is he okay?"

"I told you," Akiji shrugged and pointed to a drink. Yamato nervously took the decorated straw and felt a small piece of paper pushed into his palm. He quickly closed his fist about it, fighting the urge to look back at the watching Gozoku.

"He's alive and kicking. Last I heard, he was trying to sneak past my brother to come to your rescue.... And so he said, Lady, you've been standing on my foot for the last half an hour!"

Yamato's back stiffened and he risked a glance behind. Gozoku was suddenly behind him and looking down on him with contempt; then he slumped down on the next stool. Yamato turned to the bartender with a small smile.

"A nice joke," he said.

Akiji nodded with a chuckle. "You're all sad, lad, thought I might cheer you up. Want anything, Gozoku?"

The yakuza growled. "The usual."

"Right!" Akiji said cheerfully and went to jungle with the glasses. Yamato imitated a yawn. He stood up under the fixed stare of black eyes and moved away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gozoku snarled.

"Where you'll never be!" Yamato snapped. "In Ren's bedroom!"

Gozoku turned to the bar at once but his crooked back signified his violent irritation.

Yamato slammed the door in the hall shut and his lips spread into a gloating smile. Finally, he had his revenge! He told Gozoku - the skilled dangerous yakuza as he was - he told him off! He showed him his true place. He was merely a bodyguard, while Yamato was Ren's concubine and the object of his love, no less. The blonde unwrapped the note from Akiji and smiled wider. //I wouldn't be Ren's concubine for long.//

'Staff restroom. Back window. Way's clear.'

Yamato closed his eyes and breathed a long sigh. //Thank you... Taichi, love... I'm coming.//

(Taichi's POV)

Teishiro sank his fingers into his hair in anger and pleadingly, desperate, looked at the adamant brunette.

"Taichi, I only want you to come with me to hospital," he said articulating every sound. "This is my only wish."

"I'm going to get Yamato out of there," Taichi said. He crawled under the bed and dragged out a pink stuffed toy by its long ears. Teishiro bluntly blinked at the toy.

"Yes, Taichi, I understand. But I only want to know that you're alright."

"I'm alright."

The brunette peeked out of the door and stuck his head back quickly before Teishiro's father could notice him. The boy went to inspect the window. Teishiro followed him on his heels dramatically waving his hand in the air.

"Taichi, you must see the doctor. If it was you last night who found you, I dunno... You bet, you would be freaked out!"

"Uhu."

"How are you gonna get Yamato outta there?!" Teishiro half-shouted. "It's Ren we're talking about, right? Ren is a loony!"

"I have Koromon."

"Yeah, right." Teishiro bit back sarcastically to the calm reply. He placed his hand on the window to prevent Taichi from climbing out. "If this Koromon is some kind of a bullet-proof tank with missiles, I might let you go. But now.." he shut the window in irritation and guided Taichi forcefully back on the bed, "until you are able to walk without screwing your face up, you are staying in here!"

Taichi looked up at him.

"Tei, I'm too late already," he whispered. "It's getting dark and Yamato is there, alone, with Ren, and who knows what he feels now... I'm always getting Yamato in trouble..."

Teishiro brushed the toy from the bed, frowned suspiciously at hearing an 'ouch!' in a strange voice as it hit the floor, and sat down next to Taichi.

"Yamato is okay, I'm sure!" he said with false optimism in his voice.

"Ren raped him. How could he be okay?"

Teishiro held his breath then exhaled softly. He knows...

"Yeah. It happens..."

"It shouldn't have happened to Yamato."

Taichi clenched his fists, shivered from a stab of pain in his cut shoulders and forced his fists to relax. His Yamato... His wonderful beautiful Yamato... His soft lips and his big mouth, the smell of his skin, the spark in his eyes - he feared that everything was destroyed. The need for protecting him surged in his veins and his fists closed tightly once more as if they were closing around Ren's throat. //Bastard...// Tears welled in his throat and he gulped the salty soreness down. //Yamato, I love you... I'm going to find you.// Taichi landed his forehead on his hands with a fearful moan.

"Yamato... Why did it have to happen to you?... You didn't deserve it..." he whispered into his hands. "Yamato, wait for me, please..."

Koromon discreetly rubbed at Taichi's feet, his big expressive eyes sad and compassionate.

Teishiro stood up. "Promise me, Taichi, to stay in that room. Look, I'm bringing snacks right now. And then we'll discuss how the hell steal your blonde from Ren. Promise?"

Taichi nodded. His face was still in his hands and Teishiro was scared that he was crying.

Teishiro went out of the room, sighing in relief. He wished Akiji called to exchange some news. It was dangerous to involve Akiji. He wasn't part of yakuza group but he often pulled some strings in police department and some shady business was ignored for the time being. Yakuza were grateful for the favour and Akiji kept working at the bar. Teishiro wearily shuffled back to his room with two sandwiches and pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

A lonely curtain was flowing over the open window.

"Oh shit."

(Yamato's POV)

Yamato limped down the hall to the small staff restroom. The window Akiji informed him of was a small one, positioned at the level of his head, but it was his only escape. He imagined it would be a pain to climb.

Akiji was right, there was no one in the restroom. Yamato dragged a lonely stool to the window and fumbled with the locker. Small panic coursed through his hands when the locker didn't give in. Finally the window clicked open and Yamato got a lungful of heavy cigarette smoke from the burned ends piled outside on the windowsill. With effort he hauled himself up and through the window, scratching his elbows on the coarse walls. Freedom at last. He jumped down into the darkening street.

"Shit!!" he exclaimed and landed on his knees and hands when pain shot through his body and immobilised him for a moment. "Oh shit!!" Yamato managed to stand up with a hissing sob and took a step forward. The pain returned encasing him in shiver. He clenched his teeth with a saw sound.

"This is so much shit..." he muttered. With one hand on the wall, the boy hastily limped away from the gloomy building of the club.

(Taichi's POV)

"Taichi!" Agumon called worriedly when Taichi stumbled and fell to his knees for the second time. "Let me digivolve..."

"No!" Taichi interrupted panting from exertion. "You must save your strength for Yamato."

Two huge green eyes watched the boy rise on his feet. Taichi painfully shielded his ribs with his hand.

"Alright!" he said through teeth, "I'll go see the doctor but Yamato first."

After twenty more steps the boy halted. His face had paled unpleasantly and his breath was whistling in and out of his lungs.

"Agumon digivolve to Greymon!"

The digimon put the boy on his shoulder as if he was a fragile glass statue.

"Go, Greymon," Taichi ordered in a strong voice. His burning forehead was slumped against the reptile skin of his neck. Several empty dark streets later Greymon felt Taichi slipping from his shoulder.

"Taichi?" The boy opened his eyes and licked his dry lips.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Are you asleep?"

"I'm okay."

"We'll find Yamato and go home right away," Greymon promised.

"Right..." Taichi peered into darkness. He was extremely tired and the stillness of the night around him put him to sleep. "Greymon," he said to distract himself, "Why did you appear here?"

The humongous dinosaur sighed. "I felt something... a pull... and I was restless. Then Garurumon came and said he was growing anxious for no obvious reasons. Then we knew it must be either you or Yamato in trouble. We found Gennai, and he said that the Gate was closed. We searched for another gate but then the pull was so strong that we knew that we can come through and the Gate would open for us, for one of us. And Garurumon told me to go and to take care of you. He let me go..."

"Where did you appear?" Taichi asked bravely. Inside, he was horrified at his digimon's words: the Gate was closed. What if Greymon hadn't appeared? Chills ran down his back. He shifted to get rid of them. Greymon told him about a strong pull. Taichi knew the feeling: he shared it with Yamato. It was a kind of desperation that had pulled Yamato out of the Dark Cave and guided him into the battle with Piedmon, to Taichi. Now it drove him to the blonde boy.

"I found myself in the streets as Agumon. I knew somehow where you were. Then I digivolved to Greymon and round the corner I could feel your heartbeat and I rushed there. I knew you was in danger... My skin crawled with the feeling. I had to be on time..."

Yamato was more important than the air he breathed, the water, the sleep - everything. His love pushed him to search for the blonde boy, and fear that something inevitable might happen to his fragile image drove him mad. Taichi's eyes clouded with tears. The fear for Yamato lurked in his chest and in his hands that were slightly shaking. If only he could take Yamato in his arms, press his body close, hear his heartbeat and ensure that everything was fine...

"Quiet, Greymon," Taichi suddenly slapped his friend's enormous neck. Silence fell. Everything was still. Angry voices rose in the end of the street.

Taichi slipped to the ground and peeked round the corner. Two or three men covered with thick shadows pointed vigorously in two opposite directions. Guns or knives glistened in their hands.

"Check that street..."

"He couldn't get away far..."

"That brat!..." one swore.

"Shut up, Gozoku!" the other's shrill voice interrupted. Taichi gripped the stone until the knuckles on his hand became white. Gozoku was the yakuza who wanted to kill him. And the smaller boy next to him was... Ren.

"What is it, Taichi?" Greymon growled softly. Taichi stumbled away from the corner and regained his rushed breathing.

"It's Ren and his gang," he said and swallowed. He was ready to fight.

"The human who ordered to kill you?" Greymon growled. And there was no softness in his voice anymore.

"Yes. They're looking for something..." Taichi whipped his head up as if a lightning bolt descended on him from the heavens. "They're looking for Yamato!" he whispered in a broken voice and frantically whirled around. "Yamato is somewhere here!"

(Yamato's POV)

Yamato, hurt, worn and on verge of tears, roamed the streets. He had difficulty admitting to himself that he was lost. The boy's foot slipped on a dirty pool and he sank to his knees with a tearing sob and a cry. The terrible shaking started in his knees and crawled up his body again. Yamato helped himself rise with a hand on a wall.

The houses in the street were old, deserted - not exactly houses but an endless labyrinth of rusty garages and storehouses. He pressed his head to the wall and stopped for breath. The sick reddish wall left a dirty mark on his hair that was no longer the sunny glowing blonde. Many walls, against which he had leant, fighting despair and pain, stained his hair, his face and his hands, and his clothes with ineffaceable streaks of soot and rust and with old stench of vomit.

Yamato opened his tired eyes and stared in the twilight ahead of him. A lonely bulb swayed in the wind above in the post and the eerie light brushed the ground. There was a dead kitten hung by his neck over the fence. Yamato felt sick. He scrambled away.

His blood froze when he heard voices in the alley. He pushed further away despite pain and weariness. One of the men was Gozoku.

The other was Ren.

Yamato stepped over something and fell flat on his knees, a sudden scream of pain fought its way out of his lungs. Praying fervently for not being heard, he crawled on his fours over the pile of boxes. His legs didn't obey him and he drew them to his chest with his hand and crouched behind the old boxes. His breath was loud, and he forced himself not to breathe. His heart was thundering away in his chest and ears.

Ren came after him! Ren could take him back!

Yamato eased his back into the wall and drew boxes around him with weakening hands, trying to reduce the noise to a minimum. Any moment he expected footsteps in the alley to check on the noise, and then Ren would find him sitting there like a scared mouse.

The footsteps came. Yamato pressed his back in the boxes, frozen like a perfect statue of fear; the construction of boxes was slowly slipping - they might fall any second and reveal him. The footsteps stopped ten, fifteen meters away and the blonde boy frantically willed them to go away.

"He couldn't get away far..."

"That brat!"

A huge shadow flashed at the other end of the street. Yamato crouched on the reflex. A mop of wild hair caught his eye.

Taichi... //Please, God, don't let me be mistaken.//

"Taichi," he whispered hopefully as the shadowy figure of the boy crept along the fence, unnoticed by yakuza. It was him.

"Taichi!!!" Yamato shouted on top of his voice and jumped to his feet, making an insane dash to the boy. What he didn't realise was that the yakuza were much closer that 15 meters, they were 10 steps away and he, with his ruined body, tired and emotionally tortured, couldn't run fast.

"Yamato!!!" It was Ren's voice.

The moment his name sounded from the lips of the blonde boy, Taichi sprinted towards the limping Yamato with Greymon soundlessly emerging from shadows over his shoulder.

Ren easily caught Yamato and whirled the kicking boy around. He lost his balance and the boys fell heavily to the ground. Panic getting a firm grip on him, Yamato fought to get away from under the older boy.

"Ren, no!..." Yamato begged, suffocating. "Please, no...!"

Ren pinned him down, steadying him against the dirty pavement, and watched in shock as Yamato struggled to free himself.

"Everything's fine, Yamato," he said. Gozoku was instantly by their side with a knife drawn. Yamato moved on his hands from the knife, desperately clutching at Ren's shoulders.

"You son of a bitch!" Gozoku threatened him and three things happened simultaneously at that; a scorching ball of fire was hurled towards the yakuza; a huge blue-striped wolf leapt to Yamato and hauled him away; and Gozoku threw his body on Ren to protect the boy from the flames. As the explosion followed, everyone was blinded and stunned. The wolf leant over Yamato with concern until Taichi caught the blonde in his arms. Both of them fell to their knees in a tight inseparable hug.

"Yamato..." Taichi sobbed dreamily. He felt his back, his greasy hair as if disbelieving he was holding him.

"Taichi.." Yamato whispered. Tears from exertion and shock ran down his face. Suddenly he was safe; he looked over at Garurumon, he threw his arm over the wolf's huge leg and smeared his tears on his fur at the same time holding Taichi close.

Taichi was completely happy at the moment, forgetting about his battered state, screaming Ren, Gozoku, and the world itself, - he buried his lips in Yamato's wonderful blonde hair. They still had a breathtaking scent of vanilla...

"Get away from him!!!" a hysterical voice shouted. Yamato started to tremble again. Five meters from him, Ren was trying to overthrow Gozoku who held him back from plunging into a hand-to-hand combat with two digimon. Ren was in an awful state: eyes furious, enraged and shouting as if he was being stabbed.

"Get away from him, Yamato! Come here! Come HERE!!!" he screamed.

Yamato sank into Taichi's arms in a fright. Garurumon and Greymon shot another ball of fire at the black-haired boy, who seemed oblivious to danger. His fruitless attemps to get away were disturbing, he looked like a lunatic, driven by an unknown force. Gozoku covered him with his body once again and his jacket caught fire.

"No!!!" Ren screamed, beating at his bodyguard in agony to free himself.

"Let's get out of here, Ren!" Gozoku said. He managed to shake his enflamed jacket to the ground without losing a grip on the smaller boy. Patches of red skin adorned his shoulder blades. Ren kicked him in the shins and tried to haul his wrists out of the man's steel-like fists. He seemed to be throwing a tantrum, as if childishly demanding to send his mother to him right now. It was pointless and dangerous.

"Come back, Yamato! Don't go away!"

Two digimon fired another warning and Gozoku, being the sensible one here, caught writhing Ren in his arms and dragged him away. The other yakuza came running and stopped abruptly and watched everything from afar. There was a mask of unimaginable horror on Ren's face. Half a street further, Yamato and Taichi could hear his bloodchilling yells of 'Come back!' - then everything went quiet as if the kicking child was finally taken away.

Yamato rested his head against Taichi's shoulder wearily. For the first time in weeks he felt free. Taichi's arm twitched, as Yamato happened to lean over the most injured one.

"I'm sorry!"

"Shhhhhhh... okay. That looney. I'm happy to have you back, Yama."

"I'm so sorry," the blonde gasped out. "Taichi, I.."

"I love you."

With worried sniffs of air and swift glances into the dark alley, the digimon paced around them.

"Let's get out of here," Garurumon said. He nudged Yamato in the back with his nose. "Get on my back, Yamato."

Taichi helped Yamato to climb on the back of the wolf digimon and circled his waist with his arms. Yamato turned to him with a smile and Taichi had a sudden urge to kiss him on mouth; not just some childish peek on lips, no, kiss him deep and long, waiting till his taste dissolved into his own mouth, feel his tongue come alive around his.

"What are you doing?!"

Yamato gave a startling whimper and Taichi realised he was leaning to his lips.

"I want to kiss you."

Yamato turned away. Taichi locked his stare on the visible part of his cheek, imagining his unsure blue eyes and bitten lips. He wanted them. Nobody had the right to kiss him. Only Taichi.

"Hospital, Taichi?" Greymon growled before Yamato could stammer out his explanations of why he didn't want to be kissed. Taichi sighed.

"Yes," Yamato said with a strain. Then he added quietly, "Will you still stay with me, Taichi? Will you... stay with me?"

"Sure." //I'll get you for this, Ren.//

Voices rose in the far end of the street as two digimon and their partners disappeared in the darkness without a sound.


a/n
Well?...